Caribbean Poetry

Caribbean Poetry:

Introduction:
— Caribbean Poetry in most cases relies on two main topics:
-Political/ Social issues
- Spirituality
- “Others” are abstract at face value- they may be considered Caribbean Poems for 3 reasons:
-Author is a well known Caribbean poet
-Poem touches on Caribbean topics in abstract
- It has been produced during the Rastafarian Movement
The Movement:
-The reason for much of the socio-politically themed poetry is because of the “Rasta” or “Rastafarian” movements of the 70’s.
- “Rasta” literally means: Cultural Revolution.
- Therefore Caribbean poetry during and after the 70’s is politically and/or socially charged (in most cases).
- “Some Hardcore Rasta believers shunned socio-political activism and they regarded politics as a corrupt “shitstem” that would be swept away in the impending apocalypse.”
Insight:
These topics [politics/social issues, spirituality] are used by many different types of Caribbean poetry. This is one type that we will be focusing on:
— Dub poetry
   However, there are many spin-off types of this poetry, such as:
— Calypso
— Reggae
Dub Poetry:
Originated in Jamaica in the 1970s.
-A form of performance poetry consisting of spoken word over reggae rhythms
-Usually prepared and often accompanied by music specifically written for the poem.
-Predominately concerned with politics and social justice.
-Mostly a commentary on current events.
Calypso: (upbeat)
— Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad and Tobago near the end of the 19th century
— It has a strong rhythm produced by a group of percussion and drums that make the movement of the sound similar to Reggae.
— It is said that Calypsonians “speak for the people, providing social commentary, gentle protest that grows out of concern for their nation, and a constant source of indigenous entertainment”
Reggae: (mellow, think Bob Marley)
— Reggae music is the use of dub poetry to a drum beat(usually a standard drum kit).
— It typically uses themes such as social and political criticisms, black nationalism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and anti- capitalism, although many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects, such as love, sex and socializing.
— Sometimes they try to inform the listener about controversial subjects such as the Apartheid.
— Many reggae songs promote the use of cannabis (also known as herb or ganja), considered a sacrament in the Rastafarian movement.
— There are many artists who utilize religious themes in their music.
Well Known Caribbean Poets:
— Derek Walcott
-Born in 1930 in Castries, Saint Lucia.
- “The experience of growing up on the isolated volcanic island, an ex-British colony, is said to have had a strong influence on Walcott's life and work.”
-Moved to Trinidad in 1953 where he worked as a Theatre and Art Critic.
-His Breakthrough was his collection of poems, “In a Green Night”, published in 1962.
-In 1959, he founded the Trinidad Theatre Workshop which produced many of his early plays.
Won the 1992 Nobel Prize for literature.
A Far Cry From Africa
By: Derek Walcott
A wind is ruffling the tawny pelt
Of Africa, Kikuyu, quick as flies,
Batten upon the bloodstreams of the veldt.
Corpses are scattered through a paradise.
Only the worm, colonel of carrion, cries:
"Waste no compassion on these separate dead!"
Statistics justify and scholars seize
The salients of colonial policy.
What is that to the white child hacked in bed?
To savages, expendable as Jews?
Threshed out by beaters, the long rushes break
In a white dust of ibises whose cries
Have wheeled since civilizations dawn
From the parched river or beast-teeming plain.
The violence of beast on beast is read
As natural law, but upright man
Seeks his divinity by inflicting pain.
Delirious as these worried beasts, his wars
Dance to the tightened carcass of a drum,
While he calls courage still that native dread
Of the white peace contracted by the dead. 
Again brutish necessity wipes its hands
Upon the napkin of a dirty cause, again
A waste of our compassion, as with Spain,
The gorilla wrestles with the superman.
I who am poisoned with the blood of both,
Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?
I who have cursed
The drunken officer of British rule, how choose
Between this Africa and the English tongue I love?
Betray them both, or give back what they give?
How can I face such slaughter and be cool?
How can I turn from Africa and live?
-------> In my opinion this poem uses a lot of imagery to appeal to the readers emotions. From my point of view i believe the author is literally talking about the slaughter that is going on in africa, and how he has to chose between his culture and heritage or accepting the british way of life.
Linton Kwesi Johnson
— Born August 24th, 1952 in Chapelton Jamaica.
— Lives in Britain, known as a Dub-poet.
— In 2005 he was awarded a silver Musgrave medal from the Institute of Jamaica for distinguished eminence in the field of poetry.
— While still at school he joined the British Black Panther movement /helped to organize a poetry workshop within the movement and developed his work with Rasta Love, a group of poets and drummers.
— Most of Johnson's poetry is political, dealing mainly with the experiences of being an African- Caribbean in Britain
— Johnson's record label LKJ Records is home to other reggae artists, and he has had many popular albums recorded.
Context-
— Johnson wrote about British foreign policy, and the death of anti-racist marcher Blair Peach. Most of his celebrated works were written during the time Margaret Thatcher was Prime minister.
— She reduced expenditures on social services such as health care, education, and housing
— His poetry contains graphic accounts of racist police brutality.
Dread Beat An Blood
By: Linton Kwesi Johnson
Dread Beat An Blood
Brothers an sisters rocking
A dread beat pulsing fire     burning
Chocolate hour an darkness creeping night
Black veiled night is weeping
Electric lights consoling    night 
A small hall soaked in smoke
A house of ganja mist 
Music blazing sounding thumping fire     blood
Brothers an sisters rocking stopping rocking
Music breaking out bleeding out thumping out fire        burning 
Electric hour of the red bulb
Straining the brain with a blood flow
An a bad bad thing is brewing
Ganja crawling, creeping to the brain
Cold in the head an a dread beat bleeding beating fire    dread
Rocks rolling over hearts leaping wild
Rage rising out of the heat an the hurt
An a fist curled in anger reaches her
Then flash from a blade from another to a him
Leaps for a dig of a flesh of a piece of skin
An blood bitterness exploding fire wailing blood and bleeding
-------> I believe this poem is about a get together which involved drugs(ganja) or other illegal substances. The police show up to shut the place down and it errupts into violence and bleeding.
Socio-Politically Themed Poetry:
— Some events that can cause this type of poetry are:
   Wars, Famines, Disease, Political Uprisings, Discrimination, Movements, Depressions, Ancestral roots etc.
These causes can be noticed through subjective writing, where the poet comments on current events.
— A poet who writes politically is Jean Binta Breeze
Jean Binta Breeze:
— Born in Jamaica in 1957
— She studied at the Jamaican School of Drama
— She started writing poetry in the 1970s, performing and recording first in Kingston then in London.
— She is considered a ‘Dub’ poet.
Context of poem:
— 19th century-collapse of the sugar estates (bagasse) and the introduction of nutmeg and cocoa encouraged the development of smaller landholdings, and the island developed a land-owning farmer class.
— Grenada became independent in 1974/ ruled by a Marxist Government.
— Civil conflicts and paramilitary attacks overthrew the government.
— October 25 1983, approximately 70,000 American and Caribbean military personnel invaded Grenada. 
— Most recently, Grenada has been the target of natural disasters such as hurricanes.
third world views ( for grenada)
By: Jean Binta Breeze
for me
no empty bagasse pages
of their lies
no hammered voices
falsetto smooth
covering war cries
but
the salt sea spray
of an island's tears
that burn me
acid
and the wind
the wind that sings in echoes of their bombs
the wind that sings contralto tremors
of their bombs
would that nutmeg
choke their obeah
and the dust of cinnamon
lift their prints
as evidence
for babes now growing
in an island's belly
how third world my blues
of oceans bending backwards
to make ends meet
of mountains rising up to misty tears
of mothers
patching pieces of sky
to cover the winded bellies
of their babies cry
how third world my blues
---------> in my opinion this poem is explaining that when sugar cane estates began to fail people were becoming poor and the island could no longer sustain its population
---------> another interpretation was that all these bad things were happening in grenada and the rst of the world couldn't have cared less.
Spirituality in the Caribbean
 Religion is a very significant part of life in the Caribbean. Initially, religion was closely associated with education; therefore many schools have a religious affiliation.
The main religion in the Caribbean is Christianity. Increasingly, many families with an Indian background (commonly Hindus or Moslems) identify themselves as Christian.
Religion continues to serve as a vital function in preserving family stability and marriages and religion helps them to cope with difficult situations and crises. It also provides hope in times of desperate economic need. As a whole, Caribbean people cherish their religion
Albert L.B. Williams
— Was born in Emsworth, England in 1962.
— At the age of ten, the migrated to the Commonwealth of Dominica in the West Indies where he lived for 32 years.
— He returned to the UK, in October 2004 and currently resides in Crawley.
— Self-published three booklets of poetry namely:
                - Honourable Natty Dread, (1982,1990&1996)
                - One Dominica-Odes for I Beloved, (1985)
                - Through The Far Eye (1997),
                - Through The Far Eye (1997),
— Worked with organisations such as
— - The Movement for Cultural Awareness (M.C.A.)
— - The Ethiopian World Federation Incorporated (EWF Inc.)
— -The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica's, Division of Culture
— -The Black History Awareness Committee (B.H.A.C)
-The Roseau Public Librar
Let Jah Arise by: Albert L.B. Williams
LET JAH ARISE
LET ALL HIS ENIMIES BE SCATTERED.
AND LET I AND I, THE CAPTIVE IN A BABYLON GO FREE...
FREE FROM ALL  FORMS OF ADVERSITY.
'CAUSE HIS IMPERIAL MAGESTY
DID TEACH  I AND I THE TRUE THINGS OF LIFE...
(WHAT IS IT)
WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS.
SO WHO WILL ABIDE WITH THE ALMIGHTY?
ONLY I AND I. THE REMANENTS OF HIS PEOPLE
ONLY I AND I THE RESTORATION OF HIS CHURCH
ONLY I AND I. ALL 'DEM' AND 'DOSE' ' DAT'  KNOW
'DAT' HIS IMPERIAL MAGESTY EMPEROR HAILE SELLASSIE  IS NOT DEAD.
H.I.M A JUST COOL IN IS HIGHER  MEDITATION UNTILL DE HOUR OF POWER...
AN WHEN DE LION OF JUDAH WILL ARISE.
WID' FIRE AN BRIMESTONE IN HIS EYES.
SING GLORY TO GOD. THE PROPHET HAS COME...AND RASTAFARI IS HIS NAME.
SELAH 
Context:
— Jah is the shortened name for the God, Yahweh.
— The poem let Jah arise focused on the empowerment of the Rastafarian movement.
— This was a new religious movement that acceptsedboth Jesus Christ and Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as incarnations** of God, called Jah or Jah Rastafari.
— ** incarnations**- giving human or concrete form
— This religion also rejects the“White man’s world” – modern Babylon-- as mentioned in the poem. They feel that its greed, dishonesty, lasciviousness, meat-eating habits, "devil soup" (alcohol) and chemical-oriented technology is negative.
The name Rastafari comes from Ras (literally "Head," an Ethiopian title equivalent to Duke), and Tafari Makonnen, the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie I.
1920’s-Marcus Garvey is considered the catalyst for the movement, when he advocated a "back to Africa idea. He said: "look to Africa, when a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand.”
 1930- Ras Tafari was crowned Emporer Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia. 
Many people thought he fulfilled Garvey's prophecy and looked to him for guidance in how to begin their new way of life.  The Rastafarians (as they were known) emphasized "black pride, and the need to regain the heritage the black race temporarily lost by straying from holy ways"  
“Other” Types of Poetry
The word “other” leaves much to be desired as it is not very descriptive. This type of poem is not set on anything specific, and topics can range from the colour of the sky, to types of rice.
However, these topics are often misleading, and do not always mean what they seem to at face value. For example…. Read the following poem, what do you believe it to be about?
A section from “Insight Guides” written by: Bruce St. John
        We' language limit?
Who language en limit?
Evah language
Like a big pot o' Bajan soup:
Pice o' yam, piece o' potato,
T'ree dumplin', two eddoe,
One beet, two carrot,
Piece o' pig-tail, piece o' beef
Pinch o' salt, dus' o' pepper,
An' doan' fuget okra
To add to de flavour.
Boil up, cook up, eat up
An' yuh still wan' rice...
----->Contrary to what many may have thought, this poem has absolutely nothing to do with food what so ever. It uses food, and the “soup” concept as a metaphor. The poem is about language, and St John wrote it as a defence of language to those who say that it is limited.
One other very strong element of this poetry is slang. Caribbean poetry is known for its slang. Poems are written based on how words sound. For example, instead of saying, “what’s up,” the slang may be written “wassup.” Another example could be, “what are you doing?” This could be “what chu doin’.”
Slang Terms:
ignorant:  to be mean or very aggressive
gone cross / pushing bread cart:   to be pregnant
to be malicious:  inquisitive or nosy
sea-bath: swimming
liming:  hanging around  (i.e., You limin' or buyin'? would mean "Are you here to buy something or just to hang out [like a lime on a tree]?“)
The sea en' got no back door:  Once you get into something, you can't always get back out.
Trouble don' set up like rain:  You can't always see trouble coming
If greedy wait, hot will cool:  Wait patiently and you'll get what you want.
Tek time en' laziness:  Much can be achieved by taking one's time.
Pretty-pretty things does fool li'l children:  Superficial things impress superficial and naive people.
Wha' sweet in goat mouth does burn in he bam bam:  What seems sweet and good can have very negative, painful consequences.
  
 
 

ISU#2:FinalCopy LesMiserables-Imprisonment due to Morality

Les Miserables: Imprisonment due to Morality
By: Sara Van Criekingen, ENG 4UE
Is a man who steals something to eat a bad person? Will one’s opinion change if they learn that neither he nor his family, including young children, have eaten in days? Is a man fallacious that arrests the poor fellow who has stolen? Or is his ruthlessness acceptable because of his role in upholding the law?
            Victor Hugo’s novel ‘Les Miserables’ is centered on the struggle of “good” versus “evil” within mankind, and how people’s actions can be influenced by their beliefs and morals, as well as circumstance. One may suggest that the “good” character, a man on a mission to clear his conscience, is represented by Jean Valjean. In contrast, the “evil” character could be Javert who is a secularist, a man who separates religion from the law. However, though it may seem that Valjean is the morally just character in the story, Inspector Javert, the man who attempts to convict Valjean time and time again, is in fact an equal to Valjean in respect to morality and both characters are prisoners of their conscience and humanness. 
             Humannessis the act of affirming the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal human qualities, particularly rationality (Humanism, Wikipedia). It is presumed that Javert does not bring forth such ability, however this is untrue because of the realization that he had about Valjean and his will to put mankind before himself. Javert had come to a conclusion:
One thing had astonished him, that Jean Valjean had spared him, and one thing had petrified him, that he, Javert, had spared Jean Valjean [...] Jean Valjean confounded him. All the axioms which had been the supports of his whole life had crumbled away before this man. Jean Valjean’s generosity towards him, Javert, had overwhelmed him. Other acts, which he remembered and which he had hitherto treated as lies and follies had returned to him now as realities. M. Madeleine reappeared behind Jean Valjean, and the two figures overlay each other so as to make but one, which was venerable. Javert felt that something horrible was penetrating his soul, admiration for a convict. Respect for a galley slave, can that be possible? He shuddered at it, yet could not shake it off. It was useless to struggle, he was reduced to confess before his own tribunal the sublimity of this wretch [...] [Ellipses Mine] (Hugo, 336).
This dilemma, a formidable struggle for Javert to resolve, resulted in his suicide. He discovered what, to his standards, was right and wrong. Though to his secular beliefs it was astonishing that he had freed Valjean, to him, morality had nothing to do with upholding the law, or so it appeared. Javert is a character who is defined by his job. He does everything he possibly can to keep the guilty in the galleys and the innocent in line. He “takes no prisoners”, so to speak and it is said that:
“[...] the foundation of Javert, his element, the medium in which he breathed, was veneration for all authority. He was perfectly homogeneous, and admitted of no objection, or abridgment. To him, be it understood, ecclesiastical was the highest of all; he was devout, superficial and correct [...] [Ellipses Mine] (Hugo, 108).
 According to Max Weber, if the law is not upheld with force, then the “police and military no longer control security and order and society move into anarchy, the absence of government,” (Law, Wikipedia). Javert worked hard to make sure criminals were not free, and thus, unconsciously he was not aware that he was punishing people who were innocent or deserving of freedom.
                                Inspector Javert does not intend to be subjective when it comes to Valjean’s punishment. In the case of the Thenardiers, Javert attempts to arrest both Valjean and the Thenardiers. Mr. Thenardier held Valjean captive, torturing him with the intent of extortion. When Javert entered the apartment he instructed his police force to put “handcuffs on all” (Hugo, 233) who were in the room, including the seemingly innocent Valjean (who was under the name M. Leblanc as a cover). This was an attempt for Javert to understand what was going on and to reduce the attempts for the criminals to escape. He wanted to be sure that he got the right information before he arrested anyone. It was not Javert’s intent to be evil when it came to Jean Valjean. In fact on the level of justice for the people, Javert could have been considered a hero, a term often associated with goodness. 
                        How can one define what or who is “good” or “evil” and by what standards do these definitions exist? To be “good” does the belief or participation in religion have to be an aspect that is considered? Are Javert’s intentions to arrest Valjean an act of spite or made by mere secular belief? Some people believe humanity is inherently evil. But if this were true, then wouldn’t good people revert to evil, especially if they knew they wouldn’t be punished for it?  Human nature is made up of characteristics and instincts that are only defined by societal norms. Thus good and evil cannot exist independently from society, or innately in humanity. What is good if you cannot compare it to evil? “There are some people who do what they do because they adhere to a personal standard of conduct, one which is apart and independent from society’s,” (Humanity, Wordpress). This is reflected in Les Miserables by the conduct which Javert applies to his job. Javert enforced the belief that any crime should be punished, and that you are guilty until proven innocent. In the seventeenth century, many would agree that stealing anything, including a loaf of bread, was shameful, and punishable by law. It was not socially acceptable to steal, not even for starving and poverty stricken children. So only by those applied social standards, including the circumstance described, Javert supervised the conviction of Valjean.
                        Jean Valjean is a convict who makes many attempts to escape the life in the galleys, and become a better person. Jean makes the decision to repent himself on behalf of the Bishop, Monsieur Myriel, who gave him shelter in a storm and then caught him stealing his silver. The Bishop did not feel the need to punish Valjean; in fact he called him innocent in front of the authorities. Then as Jean was about to leave, the Bishop told him: “forget not, never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become a better man” (Hugo, 33). Valjean carried through with his journey to holiness because of his human nature and conscience. It is his inner struggle to escape his past and reaffirm his humanity in a time when poverty was abundant and sympathy was lacking.  
                        In turn, thanks to the second chance that the Bishop had given Valjean, he made the decision to save both Marius and Javert. These decisions amounted to being Valjean’s downfall, and he was aware of that when he made these decisions. Every decision that Valjean had made were ones he knew would benefit Cosette, his adopted daughter. Jean had such a deep affection for Cosette, that he felt he did not deserve being graced with her presence. He thought that:
[...]he really had not suffered enough to deserve such radiant happiness, and he thanked god, in the depths of his soul , for having permitted that he, a miserable man, should be so loved by this innocent being,[Ellipses Mine] (Hugo, 249).
 When Valjean saves Marius, he knows that Marius and Cosette will be free to love each other, if he survives. Valjean was afraid to lose Cosette and never see her again. That is the only reason he considered letting Marius die in the barricades of the war. He was scared that:
[...] it is all over. I shall never see her more. She is a smile which has passed over me. I am going to enter into the night without even seeing her again. Oh! A minute, an instant, to hear her voice, to touch her dress, to look at her, the angel! and then to die! [...]My God! My God! I shall never see her again, [Ellipses Mine] (Hugo, 380-381).
Valjean had a conscious realization that he had promised to become a better person, and so he saved Marius. He carried him through the war zone and through many miles of the sewer system. Jean Valjean had desperation to save Marius and at one point in the sewers he:
[...]rose, shivering, chilled, infected, bending beneath this dying man, whom he was dragging on, all dripping with slime, his soul filled with a strange light [Ellipses Mine] (Hugo,324).
Valjean even gave up his freedom to Javert in exchange for the medical care of Marius. However, he would not take credit for his actions, so he lived many months, up until his death being thought of as a convict to Marius. In the end though, when Marius did find out that it was Valjean who had saved him, and when he had asked Valjean why he hadn’t said anything Valjean’s reply was:
Because I felt that you were right. It was necessary that I should go away. If you had known of the affair of the sewer, you would have made me stay with you. I should have then had to keep silent. If I would have spoken it would have embarrassed all, (Hugo, 393).
It is with this statement that it is fair to say that Jean Valjean cared more for the feelings
of others than for his own life. He did not dare to infringe on the happiness of Cosette
 and he wanted nothing more than to die an honest man.
                        Honesty is something that Jean Valjean had learned to live by. He felt that he owed it to the world for all of his sins, that he should become a better person, and live purely. With that reason he didn’t run from Javert any longer. In fact, Valjean saved Javert’s life, and then told Javert:
You are free. [...] I don’t expect to leave this place. Still if by chance I should, I live, under the name of Fauchelevent, in the Rue de L’Homme Arme, number seven, [Ellipses Mine] (Hugo, 313).
Valjean knew that he had provided Cosette with a safe and fortunate upbringing, and he decided he had lived a happy life with her, and she didn’t need him any longer. That is why he told Javert the truth; he meant no harm to the people of Paris, and all he wanted was an honest death and to keep his promise to the Bishop to be a holy man. He considered God a part of himself in everything that he did. He thanked God for the pleasures in his life and he pleaded with God when his life went off the tracks. Jean sought refuge with the Lord when he had no place to go. A convent was a home for him for many years, where he once helped send a man who could no longer work. He knew, especially since the Bishop had given him a second chance that God would always be there for him. That is the way in which Valjean was impacted, and then passed on the holiness to everyone he encountered.  He gave God much credit because he felt his faith had brought Cosette back to him, he was convinced that because he heard:
[...] the sound of her voice, rather than the meaning of her words; one of those big tears which are gloomy pearls of the soul, gathered slowly in his eye. He murmured “the proof that god is good is that she is here, [Ellipses Mine] (Hugo, 394).
Jean Valjean had faith that God is the reason everything turned out happily. He said that “such are the distributions of God. He is on high, he sees us all, and he knows what he does in the midst of his great stars,” (Hugo, 398). He also had a strong belief that the Bishop can see how he has become a changed man “satisfied with me in heaven,” (Hugo, 398). On Valjean’s death bed it was asked to him if he would like a Priest. His reply was that he had one already and:
[...] with his finger, he seemed to designate a point above his head, where, you would have said, he saw someone. It is probable that the Bishop was indeed a witness of this death-agony, [Ellipses Mine] (Hugo, 396-397).
As it was Valjean’s goal to become an honest man, one may wonder why he told the
 court who he really was, even after he had become the ‘hero’ of his town, the mayor,
and best employer. He didn’t really know the answer either, but he had contemplated keeping quiet and letting another man take the fall for him (Christian Ethics, Wikipedia). Christian Ethics is something that affects the decisions Valjean makes. It leans towards the practice and need for mercy, grace and forgiveness, especially because of human weakness, something that every human possesses. With these ethics it is believed that Valjean could become virtuous with divine assistance. Letting another man take the fall was not what Valjean wanted as an honest man; his view of a fresh start did not include allowing someone to go to the galleys on his behalf. He questioned whether or not to:
[...] close the door on his past? But he was not closing it, great God! He was reopening it by committing an infamous act! For he became a robber again, and the most odious of robbers! He robbed another of his existence, his life, his peace, his place in the world, he became an assassin! He murdered, he murdered in a moral sense a wretched man, he inflicted upon him [...] that living burial called the galleys! [Ellipses Mine] (Hugo, 74).
Valjean decided to reassume his real name, the convict, so that he could achieve his resurrection and “close the door on the hell whence he had emerged,” (Hugo, 75). His conscience once again had allowed him to re-evaluate his life, and the person he had become.
            On the other hand, Inspector Javert’s conscience was the one thing that was flawed. He destroyed all that was good about Valjean because he only saw one thing, the convict. His conscience reminded him that he mustn’t let a galley slave free, and he thrived on the weaknesses that Valjean possessed. Javert, rather than believing in the common Christian ethics, he believed in normative ethics and more specifically, utilitarianism. His view was that the moral worth of an action was based on its contribution to the overall population (Utilitarianism, Wikipedia).  Therefore if something did not benefit the majority of the people, Javert would not allow it.  What Javert realized all but too soon, was that Valjean’s will was so strong that it would not allow him to ever give up on his journey to become a considerably “good” person and by then he had committed suicide.
            It is often said that what defines “good” is something that improves the community. This was demonstrated through the many ways in which Jean Valjean engaged in acts of kindness.  He had taken care of the orphan, Cosette, saved both Marius and Javert, and often gave money to the poor of Paris; these were all benefits to society. Forever in the shadow of the only “good” character in the novel is Javert, the man who contributed decades of policing and putting dangerous criminals to justice. Javert’s conundrum which was either to benefit society by arresting Valjean, or realize consequentially that Valjean’s actions didn’t deserve judgment, caused Javert to end his life. Javert learned that Valjean’s self-realization was his awareness of his potential and nature, which according to Aristotle would “lead to being good and content,” (Ethics, Wikipedia). Javert’s greatest contribution to the community was his realisation that in the case of Valjean, to act lawfully was immoral, and his suicide, a considerably evil act, allowed a deserving man to walk free, which was a benefit to many lives.
            The title ‘Les Miserables’ can be translated many ways; the miserable ones, the wretched ones, the poor ones and the victims, but all of these names underline one idea: that both good and evil people are tormented.  
 
 
Bibliography
Print:
 
Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. New York: Fawcett Premiere, 1997.
 
Internet:
 
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 “Review of Humanism” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 28 Nov 2008. <http://www.stumbleupon.com/url/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism>.
 
“Utilitarianism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 8 Dec 2008. 9 Dec 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Utilitarianism&oldid=256684823>.
 
 
 
  • Tuesday, December 9, 2008

LessonPlan: Poetry Presentation

Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
 -understand the concepts within Caribbean poetry
-be able to relate, conceptualize and criticize poems of the genre
- have an understanding of the movements and history relating to the genre
Materials
Projector                                                Students will need: Paper, Pencil, ears
Chalk Board
Laptop
USB
Chalk
Methodology
Introduce subject (5 mins)
Break down three main topics + History of Movements ( 20 mins)
Present poets/ poetry (15 mins)
Poetry analysis, criticism (30 mins)
Achievements
We will know that the students understand our presentation if they have participated in the poetry assessment/ analysis and joined in on the conversation.
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